Improvement in clutch mechanisms for operating treadles



A A. w; CR'AM. Clutch Machanism for DpeatingKTreadles,

No, \62,035l Patened Apri|13,1875.

A707130 Cram,

mm O1/WLM,

A to meg.

ff/feas juffen/fof;

THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOTO:-LITH.39&41 PARK PLAEJLY. A

ALONZO W. CRAM, OF LITOHFVIELD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO HENRYO. GOODRIOH, OF JERSEYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLUTCH MECHANISMS FORk OPERATING TREADLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,035, dated April13, 1875; application filed December 17, 1873.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO W. CRAM, of Litchfield, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Illinois, have invented a new MechanicalMovement, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and theletters of reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification, in which is represented a side elevation of a machineillustrating my invention.

My invention relates to an improved means of converting oscillating intorotary motion, and is a most desirable movement to use in connectionwith sewingmachines. The nature of my invention consists in theemployment of a iianged motor-wheel, and which is journaled in anysuitable upright bearing. At the axis of this wheel are secured ra--lial arms, to the outer rextremities of which are pivoted eccentrics ordogs. These eccentrics or dogs are connected with an ordinary treadle bymeans of treadle-levers or pitmanarms, which are pivoted to theeccentrics, and at or near the inner faces o r edges, the whole being socombined and arranged that at each oscillating movement of the treadleone or the other of the dogs, through the action of its treadle-lever,is thrown in contact with the inner periphery of the ange. of the wheel,so as to impart motion or power to the same, while at the same time thebite of the other dog or eccentricis relieved and held entirely freefrom all contact with the wheel until the reverse moverient of thetreadle again causes it to bite on the periphery ot' the ange, so, inturn, to act on the wheel. Thus, it will be seen that an alternatemovement is imparted to the eccentrics; or, While one is acting directlyon the wheel so as to drive the same, the other is idle, and held ordrawn to such position as not to drag, thus utilizing all the powerexpended by the operator, in avoiding, as it does, all lost powerincident to the dragging ofthe idleeocentric, and accomplishing the samewithout employing a spring or any other equivalent device to release thebite ofthe dog when not in use in imparting or continuing the motion ormomentum to the wheel. My invention also consists in permanentlysecuring to one treadlc-lever or pitman, and at or 'near its uppersection, a lever-arm, and which, by a short pivoted arm, is connected orattached to a leverarm pivoted to the other treadle-lever or pitman. andconnected with the treadle-lever as to act as a stop, preventing thedogs or eccentrics from striking, and thus avoiding noise and all dangerof the dogs or eccentrics catching on a dead-center.

The construction and operation of my invention are as follows:

In the accompanying drawing, axis the base of the machine, having anupright, b, in the upper end of which is jonrnaled the anged wheel c,provided with the radial arms it', pivoted to its axis. On or near theouter extremities of the radial arms t' t' are pivoted the eccentrics oo, to the inner ends of which are articulated the treadle-levers f g,which are made to meet at the treadle, and are pivoted thereto at p. Thetreadle is pivoted to the upright b at z. The eccentrics have,preferably, a comparatively large face-surface, and are preferablycovered with rubber or other similar substance, to increase the frictionon the tlange of the Wheel, against which they are made to bear in theoperation ot' the machine. It will be obvious from this constructionthat, by raising and depressing the inner end of the treadle, theeccentrics will alternately be brought to bear against the inner face ofthe flan ged wheel, and im part arotary motion thereto in the samedirection; and the treadle-levers so act that, while one drives theeccentric ordog so against the periphery ot' the wheel as to insure itspositive bite, and the transmission of the desired power, the bite ot'the other eccentric or dog is not only released, but is drawn to suchposition as to free it from all contact with the wheel, and thus thedragging ot' the idle dog or eccentric is rendered impossible, and theloss of power incident thereto avoided. To the treadle-arm f ispermanently attached a lever-arm, d, and to the treadle-arm g is pivoteda short arm, a. These arms d n are connected by a short arm, o.` Thesearms d, n, and c are relatively so arranged and connected with thepitman-leversf g as to act as a stop, thus preventing, under allcircumstances, the dogs or eccentrics Io o from so These arms arerelatively so arranged 4 striking as to create noise, or ot' theirmeeting, so as to eatoh on a dead-center. S is a spring, and iseonneeted with the treadle-lever g and the arm n, and is so arrangedthat its tension is constan tly employed, so as to prevent the arms n ofrom so catching as to stop on a center, as it Were, and which wouldinstantly arrest the motion of the motor. On the outer face of theTreadle-lever f is a brake, r, and on its inner face is a spring oryielding stop, 1. These are relatively so arranged that in the ordinarymovement of the treadle the treadle lever g will strike the stop fr',and so prevent the approach of the treadlelevers as to avoid thebringing of the brake o" in Contact with the outer periphery of theflange of the Wheel c; but when it is desired to stop the motor a slightadditional pressure or depression of the treal die will so overcome thetension ofthe stop as to throw the brake 9' in Contact withthe Wheel,and instantly arrest its motion.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, :is-

The dan ged Wheel c, radial arms t' i, eccentries o o, treadle-ieversfg, arms d, n, and o', and spring S, the Whole being so combined andarranged as to prevent the striking or meeting of the dogs,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALONZO W. CRAM. -lvitnesses:

JOHN G. RYAN, GHAs. W. BEARDLEY.

